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Power, and Muguruza, Reign Supreme at WTA Tour Finals

The sport’s final tournament, an elite event for the best in the game, produced a veteran champion, and a glimpse of where women’s tennis is headed in 2022.

By Matthew Futterman

GUADALAJARA, Mexico — As her final shot forced one final error, and Garbiñe Muguruza beat Anett Kontaveit and slammed an exclamation point onto the tennis season by winning the WTA Finals, the veteran player claimed more than just an individual triumph.

This was not simply a win for a single player, but for power and aggression in women’s tennis and the unique form of mental toughness it requires.

Muguruza, who prevailed, 6-3, 7-5, in 99 minutes, had her opponent on her heels from the start, finding opportunities to break Kontaveit nearly every time she served in the first set, pushing forward and making Kontaveit backpedal far behind the baseline and scramble across the back of the court. Kontaveit, an Estonian, made a battle of it, forcing Muguruza to raise her level of play in the second set. But after an hour and a half, Kontaveit resembled a prize fighter whose arms were still swinging but whose wobbly legs could not sustain her any longer.

“A dream come true to play here,” said Muguruza, a Spaniard the Mexican fans adopted as one of their own during the tournament.

Trying to guess the next dominant player in women’s tennis long ago became an act of futility. The game produces surprise champions practically every week. But what unfolded a mile above sea level in the middle of Mexico in the past week provided plenty of hints about where the women’s game is going. Players hoping to make it at the elite level would do well to figure out how to hit the ball as hard as they can, and then try to hit it even a little bit harder, and not care much when inevitable misses occur.

“It doesn’t always go your way,” said Kontaveit, who survived an onslaught from Maria Sakkari of Greece in the semifinals and figured out the modern power game of the moment as few others have during her white-hot final month of the season. “You miss some shots. Be kind to yourself, and look forward to the next point.”

The WTA Finals is different from other tournaments, where top players can usually spend a few rounds getting a feel for the ball against inferior competition. The WTA Finals includes only the best eight available players of the season. Every match is a test the caliber of a Grand Slam quarterfinal, or something even tougher, making it clear what it takes to win at the highest level, night after night.

The tennis of the past eight days was not for the faint of heart. This was a collection of women blasting ball after ball after ball, mostly trying to pummel opponents into submission rather than outthink them.

The eight-player field in Mexico included two players — Iga Swiatek of Poland and Barbora Krejcikova of the Czech Republic — who approach the court with an old-style mix of finesse and artistry. Swiatek and Krejcikova went a combined 1-5 in round robin play and failed to advance to the semifinals. The last four was made up of players whose specialty is hitting untouchable balls through the back of the court at withering speed. When the ball is landing inside the lines, the strategy wins points and games and crushes an opponent’s spirit.

Muguruza, a two-time Grand Slam champion who is 28, has been doing this for a while, though this was her first time reaching the final in the year’s ultimate tournament.

A dozen years ago, after she had sprouted to six feet tall, she realized that following in the stylistic footsteps of the Spanish greats of the previous generation was not going to work for her. They were classic defenders, so-called dirt-ballers who honed their games on clay and fought tennis wars of attrition.

“I’m a tall woman, big arms, and my personality did not match the classic Spanish game,” Muguruza said Tuesday. “I wanted to dominate.”

She did plenty of that in Guadalajara, and it was fitting that to get to the finals, Muguruza had to first beat the next iteration of herself in Paula Badosa, a 23-year-old Spaniard who modeled her game after Muguruza’s. Like Muguruza, Badosa is six feet tall, and she saw in Muguruza another way to play.

“Other Spanish players play different,” Badosa said. “She was the only one who played super aggressive.”

It’s true that had Ashleigh Barty of Australia, the world’s top-ranked player, opted to play this championship, finesse might have played a larger role in the past week. Barty’s greatest weapon is a slice backhand, though she, too, hits plenty of forehands through the back of the court and is among the game’s leaders in service aces. But Barty ended her season in September after spending six consecutive months on the road because of Australia’s restrictive rules for international travelers.

And so, the 2021 WTA Finals unfolded mostly as a series of slugfests in which brute strength was as potent a weapon as a drop shot.

There was a three-set brawl between Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus and Sakkari, the tour’s reigning gym rat. After outlasting Sabalenka, Sakkari spoke of using her supreme strength and fitness as weapons.

“It makes a lot of players be kind of like intimidated because they know that I can last long,” Sakkari said.

Playing with relentless aggression, though, is a high-risk, high-reward game, a tightrope walk without a safety net that brings wild swings within a season, or even a match.

Kontaveit lost four straight matches and nearly all of her confidence during the summer when she could not make enough consistent and true contact with the ball. Then she got on a roll in the fall and won the final two tournaments to grab the final spot in this championship.

Sabalenka seized the momentum and a 3-1 lead in the final set Monday night against Sakkari. Then the nerves kicked in, and her balls couldn’t find the court. With a game that is all power all the time, Sabalenka was out of options and barking at herself like a dog in the night as Sakkari reeled off five straight games to win their nearly three-hour battle.

But 21 hours later, in the semifinal, those same crushing, crosscourt backhands from Sakkari kept floating long and wide or getting hammered right back across the net by Kontaveit. Sakkari then found her groove and got within three games of the finish line. But her blasts started hitting the net and flying long once more, and she could not find a way out of a rut that was both physical and mental.

“A missed opportunity,” she said through tears when it was over.

Wednesday night’s championship match was one last heavyweight bout.

Muguruza muscled a backhand to earn her chance to win the first set, and oddly won it with a magical topspin lob, one of the few that anyone tried all week in Mexico. Soon, though, it was back to big hitting, serves darting for the corners and deep drives at the lines at the earliest opportunities. She fell behind late in the second set and needed one last burst of power to thrash through the final three games, collapsing on her back when Kontaveit’s final ball hit the middle of the net.

Great tennis players have remarkable long-term memories and terrible short-term ones.

They remember details of points played a decade earlier and can recall an opponent’s catalog of tendencies in the heat of competition.

But they also have a knack for forgetting a lost point, game or set as soon as it’s gone. They play each point, each shot, on its own merits. Blast a forehand into the net. Fine. Here comes the next one, hit just as hard and with the strongest belief that it will find the back corner of the court.

That is what Muguruza was able to do in the crucial moment Wednesday night.

With the power game ascendant, it’s the likely path anyone who wants to compete for championships and make it to this elite finale will have to take in 2022.

Matthew Futterman is a veteran sports journalist and the author of two books, “Running to the Edge: A Band of Misfits and the Guru Who Unlocked the Secrets of Speed” and “Players: How Sports Became a Business.” More about Matthew Futterman

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WTA Finals: Aryna Sabalenka, Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff & Elena Rybakina all vying for glory in Mexico

Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek will battle it out as the WTA Tour season concludes in Cancun with world No 1 on the line; Head to the Sky Sports website and app, for live scores, reports, analysis and features

Sunday 29 October 2023 15:45, UK

It's all on the line as the WTA Tour season concludes in Cancun where the top eight singles players and doubles teams of the season go head to head to crown the best of the best.

The group stage begins on Sunday October 29 until Sunday November 5 as Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek battle it out for world No 1.

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Qualification is determined by points accrued throughout the calendar year, rather than the traditional rankings which are done across a 12-month period.

The eight singles players are drawn into two groups and face each other in a round-robin format. The top two players in each group advance to the semi-finals and the singles champion wins the WTA Finals Billie Jean King Trophy.

Who is playing?

Singles Field

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1. Aryna Sabalenka

Wooow guys...what just happened? I have a fear that this was all a dream and l'm about to wake up. It's all still sinking in, but I could not be happier in this moment. Thank you so much for all the support during this few weeks,I really appreciate it..🫶🫶🫶 pic.twitter.com/vwyxezbLw8 — Sabalenka Aryna (@SabalenkaA) January 29, 2023

• Won her first Grand Slam singles title at the Australian Open.
• Reached world No 1 in singles for the first time on September 11 and has held the top spot since.
• Captured a total of three titles and made three other finals this year.
• First woman to reach the semi-finals or better at all four Grand Slam events in a calendar year since Serena Williams in 2016.

2. Iga Swiatek

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🇫🇷💙 pic.twitter.com/giVuksmh6V — Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) June 11, 2023

• Leads the WTA Tour this season in titles won (5) and matches won (63).
• Captured fourth Grand Slam title at the French Open - first woman to defend the Roland Garros title since Justine Henin in 2007.
• Claimed sixth WTA 1000 title of career in Beijing and made WTA 1000 finals in Dubai and Madrid.

3. Coco Gauff

how it started vs how it’s going pic.twitter.com/o9Pip6Eozt — Coco Gauff (@CocoGauff) September 12, 2023

• Won her first Grand Slam title at the US Open.
• Sealed four singles titles in 2023, including her first WTA 1000 title in Cincinnati and her first WTA 500 title in Washington.
• Comes into the WTA Finals with 22 wins in her last 24 matches, which included a season-best 16-match winning streak.

4. Elena Rybakina

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Elena Rybakina 🐠 (@lenarybakina)

• Captured the first two WTA 1000 titles of her career at Indian Wells and Rome, and also made the WTA 1000 Miami final.
• Won 27 matches at WTA 1000 events this season - tied with Iga Swiatek for the most on tour in 2023.
• Went 4-0 against current world No 1 players this year and defeated Swiatek three times when she was ranked No 1. She also recorded a win over new No 1 Sabalenka in Beijing.

5. Jessica Pegula

This one is extra special. I am half Korean. I don’t speak and I am still learning about my culture (my mom was adopted and left on a doorstep of a Korean police station) but I have been overwhelmed by the support from Korean fans. My mom visited her orphanage here when I played… pic.twitter.com/2kUpnEZ2J2 — Jessie Pegula (@JPegula) October 15, 2023

• Won two titles in a single season for the first time, at WTA 1000 Montreal and WTA 250 Seoul.
• Reached two WTA 500 finals at Doha and Tokyo.
• Claimed WTA doubles world No 1 ranking for the first time and also qualified for the WTA Finals in doubles as the No 1 team with Coco Gauff.

6. Ons Jabeur

We are going to make it one day. I promise ❤️ 🙏🏼 pic.twitter.com/Up0pLT12HF — Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) July 15, 2023

• As well as finishing as runner-up at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, the Tunisian won the WTA 250 Ningbo Open and WTA 500 Charleston this year.

7. Marketa Vondrousova

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Markéta Vondroušová (@marketa.vondrousova)

• Vondrousova, a runner-up at the French Open in 2019, won her maiden Grand Slam at Wimbledon.
• She also made three other WTA quarter-finals this year, including at the US Open.

8. Maria Sakkari

View this post on Instagram A post shared by SAKKATTACK (@mariasakkari)

• Sakkari has reached two WTA Tour finals this season, winning the biggest title of her career at the WTA 1000 Guadalajara Open and also contested the title match at the WTA 500 Mubadala and Washington.

The line-up features all four of the Grand Slam winners in 2023 with Australian Open champion Sabalenka, French Open winner Swiatek, Wimbledon champion Vondrousova and US Open winner Gauff, while Rybakina and Vondrousova will be making their debuts at the WTA Finals.

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Karolina Muchova withdrew from the tournament with a wrist injury, so, as the first alternate, Maria Sakkari, who won the 2022 WTA Finals, moved into the field.

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The winner of the WTA Finals will get 1,500 ranking points and $3,024,000 million by going undefeated to win the singles title.

Sabalenka may have ended Swiatek's 75-week streak as world No 1 after the US Open, but her advantage at the top has been cut to just 590 points following the Pole's victory at the recent China Open.

A player will earn 125 points per match played, plus 125 points per round-robin win, 330 points for a semi-final win and 420 points for winning the final.

Belarusian star Sabalenka will be defending 955 points in Cancun after reaching the final last year, while Swiatek will be defending 750 points after she lost in the semi-finals in 2022.

Swiatek has been preparing for the event back home in Poland before travelling to Mexico.

"Maybe it's not like the best scenario because then the pre-season is a little bit shorter, but for sure, I'm going to take all the positive sides from it," the 22-year-old said.

Key stats ahead of the WTA Finals

Sabalenka could become the third player in the last 10 years to reach back-to-back finals at WTA finals singles matches, joining Elina Svitolina and Serena Williams. Swiatek could become the first player since Williams to win more than 130 matches in a two-year span - Williams did so in the 2012-13 seasons when she won 136 matches in total. US Open champion Gauff could become the youngest winner in nearly 20 years as well as the youngest finalist since Maria Sharapovova, who won in 2004 at the age of 17 - Gauff will be 19 at the time of the tournament.

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WTA Tour Finals 2021 preview: everything you need to know

The WTA’s crown-jewel event returns for the first time since 2019 with some of the biggest names in women’s tennis set to feature in Guadalajara, Mexico. Find the schedule, players to watch and more, right here.

After a sensational year of women’s tennis , the 2021 WTA Finals are back.

The season-ending championships, which feature the top eight singles players and doubles teams from 2021, will take place from November 10 to November 17 at the Panamerican Tennis Center in Guadalajara .

Mexico will host the tournament sometimes dubbed the ‘Fifth Slam’ in a one-time only event after travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic meant the competition could not take place in its usual home of Shenzhen in China .

As we head for the final showdown here are the top things you need to know.

WTA Tour Finals 2021: players to watch

Though WTA Finals defending singles champion Ash Barty has decided to sit out the event, lots of stars will be in action in Guadalajara.

Players who qualified in the Top 8 for the WTA Finals 2021

The following eight players will compete in the singles side of the competition:

• Aryna Sabalenka
• Karolina Pliskova
• Barbora Krejcikova
• Iga Swiatek
• Maria Sakkari
• Garbine Muguruza
• Paula Badosa
• Anett Kontaveit

Doubles teams that have qualified in the Top 8 for the WTA Finals 2021

The following eight teams are set to battle in the end-of-year doubles tournament:

• Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova
• Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara
• Hseih Su-Wei and Elise Mertens
• Nicole Melichar-Martinez and Demi Schuurs
• Samantha Stosur and Zhang Shuai
• Alexa Guarachi and Desirae Krawczyk
• Darija Jurak and Andrej Klepac
• Sharon Fichman and Giuliana Olmos

Coco Gauff and Caty McNally , as well as Gabriela Dabrowski and Luisa Stefani all qualified for the Finals. However, they have decided not to participate, which allowed for Fichman and Olmos to step in and compete.

Storylines at WTA Tour Finals 2021

Whatever way the WTA Finals unfold it is for certain that in the singles competition there will be a new champion.

World number one Barty made the decision in late October not to defend her WTA Finals crown in Guadalajara.

After returning to her native Australia following the US Open, the 2021 Wimbledon winner said she was unwilling to compromise on her preparations for the Australian Open with her country's ongoing quarantine requirements.

Who then is primed to take her crown?

It is certainly hard to ignore the hottest player on tour right now: Anett Kontaveit .

The Estonian stunned everyone when she snatched the final top-eight place from the hands of Ons Jabeur after she defeated home favourite Simona Halep at the Transylvania Open (October 31). Her victory at Cluj-Napoca capped a remarkable end-of-season run that has seen her win 26 of her last 28 matches.

Somewhat ironically the 25-year-old’s blistering form was triggered by a five-match losing streak with her last defeat handed to her by Jabeur in the first round of the Cincinnati Masters .

As the only player to feature in the singles and doubles competition Barbora Krejcikova is also another star to keep an eye on.

The Czech started 2021 ranked 65 but after clinching her maiden Grand Slam at Roland Garros , and then weeks later striking gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in the women’s doubles event, the 25-year-old is coming to Mexico hot.

Her 2021 win-loss record is sitting at a favourable 45-14.

With no defending duo either in the doubles event the door is as equally open for a new pair of WTA Finals champions, and several competitors from 2019 will be back seeking vengeance.

2019 runner-up Hseih Su-Wei will be hoping for more luck in this year’s edition with new partner Elise Mertens (who got only as far as the round robin stage last time). The Belgian is currently ranked number one in the world for women's doubles.

Five-time Olympian Samantha Stosur and Chinese number one Zhang Shuai will also be on the hunt for redemption after the duo got as far as the semi-finals last time. Their consecutive appearance as a team was helped by a late surge that saw them take the 2021 US Open women’s doubles crown.

WTA Tour Finals 2021: Schedule & Format

Both the singles and doubles competition will feature eight players and teams in a round robin event.

Eight are halved into two groups of four and every player/team will compete against the three others in their group.

The top two from each group will then advance to the semi-finals. The top placed player/team from the first group will play the runner-up from the second and vice versa.

The winners of each semi-final will then meet in the championship final.

Those in the singles event will be vying to lift the WTA Finals Billie Jean King Trophy. Meanwhile in the doubles, the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Trophy will be the silverware up for grabs.

The WTA Finals will feature two sessions a day with one during the day and another scheduled for night . The round robin matches will conclude on November 15. The semi-finals are penned for November 16 and the championship matches November 17 .

Wednesday November 10

• Day Session 14:00 - singles round robin followed by doubles round robin
• Night Session 19:00 - opening ceremony followed by singles round robin and doubles round robin

Thursday November 11

• Night Session 19:30 - singles round robin followed by doubles round robin

Friday November 12

Saturday November 13

Sunday November 14

Monday November 15

Tuesday November 16

• Day Session 14:00 - singles semi-final followed by doubles semi-final
• Night Session 19:30 - singles semi-final followed by doubles semi-final

Wednesday November 17

• Day Session 17:00 - doubles final followed by awards ceremony
• Night Session 19:30 - singles final followed by awards ceremony

Schedule listed in local time.

How to watch WTA Tour Finals 2021

The WTA Tour Finals will be broadcast across major platforms worldwide.

For a full list of countries and where the WTA Finals will be broadcast click here .

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WTA World Tour Finals: Karolina Pliskova brushed aside as Anett Kontaveit dishes out a straight-sets drubbing

Updated 13/11/2021 at 00:08 GMT

The Estonian made it two wins from two in the Teotihuacan group, following up her impressive 6-3 6-4 victory against second seed Barbora Krejcikova on Wednesday with a dominant display in Guadalajara. Kontaveit won inside an hour and plays Garbine Muguruza next at the prestigious season-ending event.

GUADALAJARA, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 12: Anett Kontaveit of Estonia celebrates after match point in her singles match against Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic during Day 3 of 2021 Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara at Centro Panamericano de Tenis on November 12, 2

Image credit: Getty Images

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GUADALAJARA, MEXICO - NOVEMBER 12: Karolina Pliskova of Czech Republic shows dejection in her singles match against Anett Kontaveit of Estonia during Day 3 of 2021 Akron WTA Finals Guadalajara at Centro Panamericano de Tenis on November 12, 2021 in Guadal

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WTA Finals 2023 Lineup Confirmed: Who has qualified for the year-end tournament?

The star-studded lineup for the 2023 WTA Finals in Cancun has officially been set, with the eight best players from the year preparing to go head-to-head once more.

Cancun will be hosting the year-end tournament for the first time later this month, with the event taking place from Sunday 29th October to Sunday 5th November.

Heading into the final WTA 1000 event of the year in Beijing, there were still three more places to be confirmed in the singles event and following the quarter-final results we now know which eight players will be heading to Mexico in a few weeks time.

With last year’s winner Caroline Garcia not qualifying this year, we are guaranteed a first-time WTA Finals champion in 2023 and this is who will be in contention for the illustrious title:

1. Aryna Sabalenka 

The standout player on the WTA tour in 2023 has been Aryna Sabalenka, with the Belarusian winning her maiden major at the Australian Open at the beginning of the year.

The 25-year-old has also won her second Madrid Masters title this year, as well as reaching the US Open final, where she was beaten by Coco Gauff.

As a result, she has been rewarded with the world No.1 ranking and will be hoping to stamp her authority at her fourth consecutive WTA Finals appearance (third in singles), having finished as runner-up last year.

2. Iga Swiatek

Although Swiatek has not managed to maintain the dominance that she had in 2022, the Pole has still added to her Grand Slam tally with a third Roland Garros crown in her young career.

4!!!!!??? #RolandGarros pic.twitter.com/JiBQy6bUif — Iga Świątek (@iga_swiatek) June 10, 2023

The 22-year-old has won three other titles this year (Doha, Stuttgart and Warsaw), and will be hoping to claim her first WTA 1000 crown of the year in Beijing tomorrow.

It will be the third consecutive time that the world No.2 has qualified for the WTA Finals, with her best performance coming last year when she reached the semi-finals.

3. Coco Gauff

Prior to losing in the first round of Wimbledon, Coco Gauff was having a good year, but since then has turned it into an excellent year.

The American has won 22 of her last 24 matches, that have included lifting her maiden Grand Slam title (US Open), WTA 1000 title (Cincinnati) and WTA 500 title (Washington D.C.).

This has propelled the 19-year-old up to a career-high ranking of No.3, and she will be hoping to vastly improve on her debut performance at the tournament last year where she lost all three round-robin matches in straight sets.

4. Elena Rybakina

Elena Rybakina is the first singles player representing Kazakhstan to confirm her qualification for the WTA Finals, and it will come as great relief to her fans after she was unable to do so in 2022 despite winning Wimbledon , as there were no points available.

Rybakina has continued her impressive form into 2023, winning WTA 1000 titles in both Indian Wells and Rome, as well as reaching her second Grand Slam final at the Australian Open.

The 24-year-old has hit more aces on the WTA tour (401) than anyone else in this field, and will be hoping to use that firepower on her debut appearance.

235- Elena Rybakina has now served 235 aces at WTA 1000 events in 2023. Since the format was introduced in 2009, Rybakina now has the most of any player in a calendar year, surpassing Karolina Pliskova's 234 in 2019. Deliver. #ChinaOpen | @ChinaOpen @WTA @WTA_insider pic.twitter.com/jusxSx0yji — OptaAce (@OptaAce) October 6, 2023

5. Jessica Pegula

Like her doubles partner Gauff, Jessica Pegula is also returning to the WTA Finals for a second successive year after losing all three round-robin matches in 2022.

Pegula has had another consistent season, reaching two Grand Slam quarter-finals and winning her second WTA 1000 title in Montreal.

Once again, the 29-year-old will be doing double duty at the year-end event, as she has qualified for both the singles and doubles tournament alongside Gauff.

6. Marketa Vondrousova

Marketa Vondrousova will be making her debut at the WTA Finals in 2023, having become the surprise Grand Slam winner of the year.

The Czech shocked the world at SW19, when she became the first unseeded woman to win the Wimbledon singles title.

She has since reached the quarter-finals of the US Open, and will be hoping to cause another shock when she arrives in Cancun.

7. Ons Jabeur

Although a maiden Grand Slam title continues to elude Ons Jabeur, she has still managed to qualify for the WTA Finals for a second consecutive season.

The Tunisian has done so by reaching the final of Wimbledon once again (where she was beaten by Vondrousova), and by winning titles in Charleston and more recently Ningbo.

This one has been special ? Bye lovely #Charleston ❤️ thank you for having me ?? and see you next year ?? #AlwaysBelieve pic.twitter.com/KSVAkYS92u — Ons Jabeur (@Ons_Jabeur) April 10, 2023

Jabeur will be hoping to escape the round-robin stage in 2023, something that she was unable to do in Fort Worth last year.

8. Karolina Muchova

The final player to qualify for the WTA Finals in 2023 is Karolina Muchova, being the second Czech woman to make her debut at the year-end tournament.

Despite being the only player in this list not to have won a title this year, Muchova has overcome a variety of different injuries in recent seasons to reach her maiden Grand Slam (Roland Garros) and WTA 1000 (Cincinnati) finals in 2023.

Muchova will no doubt be the dark horse in Mexico having just edged out Maria Sakkari, who will be an alternate in case anyone withdraws, to take the final spot.

WTA Finals 2023 Doubles Lineup (so far)

As well as the singles event in Cancun, there will also be a doubles tournament with all eight of the teams confirmed:

• Jessica Pegula and Coco Gauff
• Storm Hunter and Elise Mertens
• Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova
• Demi Schuurs and Desirae Krawczyk  
• Shuko Aoyama and Ena Shibahara 
• Ellen Perez and Nicole Melichar-Martinez
• Erin Routliffe and Gabriela Dabrowski
• Laura Siegemund and Vera Zvonareva

READ NEXT – Zhengzhou Open 2023 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?

About the Author / Matthew Johns

Matthew Johns, Tennishead Writer, is a professional tennis journalist with a specialist degree in Sports Journalism. He's a keen tennis player having represented his local club and University plus he's also a qualified tennis coach. Matthew has a deep knowledge of tennis especially the ATP Tour and thrives on breaking big tennis news stories for Tennishead.

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Iga Swiatek cruises into Indian Wells final to face rematch with Maria Sakkari

• World No 1 beats Ukrainian Kostyuk 6-2, 6-1 in semi-final
• Sakkari overcomes Gauff fightback for 6-4 6-7 (5) 6-2 win

Top seed Iga Swiatek will face Maria Sakkari in the Indian Wells women’s final after a near-flawless performance to cruise past Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk 6-2, 6-1.

Sakkari found the going tougher, having to overcome a Coco Gauff fightback to book a place in the decider with a 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-2 victory in a lengthy, rain-interrupted battle. The final between Swiatek and Sakkari will be a repeat of the 2022 showdown when the current world No 1 lifted the Indian Wells trophy for the first time.

Swiatek made her intentions clear early on against Kostyuk with an aggressive start to claim a break for a 2-1 lead. She pulled further away when Kostyuk hit a double fault two games later, wrapping up the opening set in 31 minutes.

The 21-year-old Kostyuk was put through the wringer again by Swiatek at the start of the second set. A powerful smash at the net gave Swiatek another break. The four-times grand slam champion withstood some pressure from the 31st seed in the next game before building a 3-0 advantage.

Kostyuk appeared to struggle with a left foot problem and a medical timeout only delayed the inevitable, as Swiatek eased to a WTA Tour-leading 19th match win of the season, finishing off the match with a forehand winner. “For sure I’m happy with the performance. I think it was the cleanest match I played here. It’s already a great tournament,” Swiatek said.

In the second semi-final, US Open champion Gauff broke Sakkari early but the No 9 seed fought back to take a first set interrupted by a short rain delay 6-4. A lengthy break for the weather delayed the start of the second set, Sakkari settling quickest on the resumption and breaking the American twice to lead 5-2.

But Sakkari could not serve out the match, despite having a match point, as Gauff broke back and took the set on the tie break. Gauff broke again at the start of the third set, but Sakkari dug in and rattled off four games in a row to take control again.

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This time Sakkari was able to complete the job, breaking Gauff again to complete the win after two hours, 41 minutes on court.

• Iga Swiatek

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Sinner sets up Medvedev semi-final in Miami

A dominant Jannik Sinner notched a comfortable 6-4 6-2 win over Andy Murray's conqueror Tomas Machac to reach the semi-finals of the Miami Open.

The Italian produced a squeaky-clean performance to oust Czech Machac after converting four of his 11 break chances across 91 minutes.

Sinner, the world No 3, is into the last four for a third time having reached the final in 2021 and 2023, and will get a rematch of last year's final against defending champion Daniil Medvedev after the third-seeded Russian later beat Nicolas Jarry of Chile 6-2 7-6 (9-7).

The first set of the match, played in humid conditions, hinged on a Machac service game at 3-3 where the unseeded Czech's forehand missed its target on break point to give Sinner a 4-3 lead.

The Italian wrapped up the set with a love hold when Machac was unable to put a second serve back in play.

In the second set, Machac's forehand sailed long to give Sinner the break and a 2-1 lead. Sinner broke again with a backhand winner for 4-1 and closed out the contest with a serve out wide that Machac was unable to return.

Sinner produced 16 winners to four unforced errors in a stress-free victory.

"For me it's special to play here. This is a special tournament. Four years ago I made the final here for the first time in a masters event and this will always be in my heart," Sinner said on Sky Sports Tennis.

"Coming back is really special for me. There was not a lot of crowd four years ago because of Covid and the support is much better now.

"I play with contact lenses and without them I couldn't even see the ball. We practise very hard to be in this position and I just want to be happy on the court.

"I'm really enjoying these moments. It's really tricky to play here sometimes because of the wind and you have to be very strong mentally.

"I have really improved a lot here. I'm very happy to be in the semi-finals and hopefully it will be a good match."

Sinner has lost just one match this year, falling in the semi-finals of Indian Wells to eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz.

Medvedev saw off a late challenge from Jarry to set up a tantalising rematch with Sinner.

Medvedev beat Sinner in last year's Miami final, but the Italian came from two sets down to claim the Australia Open title in January.

World No 4 Medvedev cruised through the first set against Jarry 6-2 but had to battle his way through a tie-break win in the second set as the Chilean fought his way back into the match.

"The first set I thought I was playing a good level, not doing anything extra, just enough to win," Medvedev said.

"Then he started to play much better and it was tough rallies, tough points. He served better and it was just a matter of a few points in the tie-break."

"Sinner was really hitting the cover off every ball and launching himself into the match," Martina Navratilova said. "He's playing so well. He must have some magic potion.

"His forehand has a lot of rotation on it. He looks very secure off both wings. You can hear the gasps from the crowd. It's mesmerising to watch."

Danielle Collins boosted her hopes of winning a title in her farewell season as the unseeded American beat French 23rd seed Caroline Garcia 6-3 6-2 to reach the semi-finals.

Collins, who announced in January that she would retire from professional tennis at the end of this season, won 89.7 per cent of her first-serve points against Garcia, never faced a break point and converted three of her eight break-point chances.

The victory, sealed in a tidy 80 minutes, marked the first time Collins has won five consecutive matches on the WTA Tour since the 2022 Australian Open where she reached her first Grand Slam final.

"I've been playing more golf, I'm terrible but maybe it's helping me relax more," said Collins.

"I feel like one of the things that makes me resilient is having a lot of detachment, I've really worked on that and you have to in this sport.

"It's such a rollercoaster each week, you could be losing for weeks and that's what it is like for most top players.

"I've got better at stomaching the high and lows and it's just about having fun out here."

Ekaterina Alexandrova followed up her victory over world No 1 Iga Swiatek with another upset to reach the last four.

The 14th seed beat fifth seed Jessica Pegula 3-6 6-4 6-4 to book a last-four meeting with Collins.

The win, which took just under two hours, ensured the 29-year-old's second WTA 1000 event semi-final appearance.

Fourth seed Elena Rybakina faces three-time Miami champion Victoria Azarenka in the first of Friday's semi-finals.

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